So it Would Seem
by Neptune21
Summary: [sess kag]Sesshomaru nabs the Demon Lord of the Southern Land's daughter with someone attached- Kagome. How will Kagome get back to Inuyasha? Will she want to?
1. A Small Confrontation

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the other characters. I do however own any and all of the characters that I made up.  
  
AN: I have decided that Sesshomaru will have two arms in this story. I understand that he is without his left arm in the anime/manga, however it is a nuisance to continue working around his handicap. Plus, I'm sure it will allow you easier visualizing, because when you think of a person, it is usually with two arms instead of one. Happy reading!^^  
  
So it Would Seem.  
  
A Small Confrontation  
  
It was only a few hours before dawn. Even in the darkness, you could see the white streak zipping past the foreign lands. It didn't take demon's eyes to see it, even though only demons' eyes would be up at this hour of the morning. The blurry white line stopped abruptly at the front gate of the castle. There was one thing on the visitors mind, and that was to take something he needed; and fast. It seemed that the 'visitor' knew the grounds, and was making no stops to look at the beautiful architecture that made up the castle, or the magnificent paintings that lined the walls. As he strode quickly up to the bedroom of the Demon Lord of the Southern Lands, you could almost see the smile on his face. (Unfortunately, he doesn't smile, hence the word "almost".) He slid open the thin door that separated him from the one he wished to speak with. It smashed into the wall, sending shards of it everywhere. He had the demon lord's throat in his hand before the door could even touch the wall, his feet dangling more than an inch off the ground.  
  
"You bastard. You dare think you can get out of swindling me? You will pay with your life. Now die." He said as poison began to escape from his claws.  
  
"Heh. Do you think I am a fool? I knew you would come here as soon as you found out. Anikati! Shobo! Bring them all out!" his lordship shouted. The demon holding the lord dropped him immediately, turning around to face 40 high-ranking demon officers.  
  
"Well now, it seems to me that you have met your match, *oh great demon lord*." His highness replied to the current situation at hand. He turned to see his mate standing in the doorway. She looked gingerly at the bed to where she usually resides at night, to see an imitation in her place.  
  
'Damnit, he really did know of my arrival. He even hid his mate from harm's way.' He smirked inwardly. 'Well if he goes out on his part of the bargain, then I will have to teach him a lesson.' His amber eyes gleamed at some of the things he could do. But, he knew all to well that the Demon Lord of the Southern Lands took great pride in his daughter. He bet that the lord would be so sure of catching him in his room that he would only put up a fortress there. The most protection that he could guarantee was probably a few guards outside her room. The man is so naïve, that he probably wouldn't want any of them inside, in case they had something else on their mind besides guarding.  
  
"Well, it was a pleasure, but I fear it is time for me to leave. I doubt this will be the last time I see you. In fact, I can almost guarantee it." The "it" hung in mid air as the man who said it was gone.  
  
"Oh, Karniosuke. what about our daughter?!" his mate screamed.  
  
"Don't worry, my love. I have means of protecting her." The lord said quietly. Little did he know that the demon had already disabled the 'means of protection'.  
  
He opened the door to the Karniosuke's daughter's bedroom, walking in quietly and hearing the 'thump' of seven guards behind him.  
  
'For someone who treasures his daughter so dearly, he certainly doesn't have a very good defense.'  
  
"Sesshomaru! You bastard! I gonna kill you for all of the trouble you've caused here!" said a very pissed off Inuyasha, who emerged from the shadows.  
  
'What?! Inuyasha? Why didn't I pick up his scent?'  
  
"Inuyasha? I thought you didn't even want to be here!" Kagome piped up, emerging from the same shadow as Inuyasha, Shippo not far behind her.  
  
'I see, it is one of those 'scent shields'. I wonder who else is hiding behind it?' Sesshomaru mused as yet another appeared from behind it.  
  
"I hope you're happy now, you two. You just woke her up." Sango replied to all the ruckus as she, Kagome, Shippo and Inuyasha looked over to the bed to see a frightened child in the corner. Inuyasha's jaw dropped.  
  
"All this time we've been protecting an infant? I thought it was someone. well, older." He said, his eye twitching.  
  
"Miroku will not be happy about this." Shippo sighed. It was then that Miroku chose to leave the shield. He took a look at the 'beautiful daughter' once again. Double take. No way in hell is that a baby!  
  
"B-baby?" Miroku stuttered.  
  
'I don't have time for this. I need to get out with the girl while I only have these fools to deal with. If the demon officers come, then I might have a bit of difficulty.' He thought as he used his ungodly speed to pick up the child from where she sat and attempted to leave, but was stopped by Inuyasha's sword.  
  
"Where do ya think you're goin'?" he asked, his smirk never faulting. Sesshomaru looked at the door with his expressionless face, but his mind was spinning. He was running out of time. He could hear the officers closing in. From what he saw earlier, they were carrying poison spears. That could prove fatal if more than five entered the blood stream. Sesshomaru raised his hand up in the air, the child dangling helplessly by its leg. If it fell, it would certainly hurt its self. That would have to do for the time being. He let go of her, only to watch a green/white something catch her. Kagome. Inuyasha's wench. The sound of the officers was growing closer. He was out of time. Sesshomaru picked up the child again, only this time there was a small something attached to her. That 'small something' was Kagome. He didn't have time to shake her off; in fact, he grabbed on to her waist, slung her over his shoulder, and ran out of the room. This was something Inuyasha didn't expect. Momentarily paralyzed over the quick turn of events, he stood there his mouth open and his eyes wide. He quickly recovered, though, jumping into action. 'Damnit! I'm too late!' He thought as he reached the doorway to find it empty. He was furious! The nerve of that demon, stealing *his* shard detector! Now he had something else to use against him: he. stole. Kagome!  
  
(Kagome's POV)  
  
As I saw Sesshomaru let go of Lord Karniosuke's daughter, I thought my heart would stop. *How could he drop something so innocent?* I ran as fast as my legs would take me. I had to catch her, I just had to! I dived in to get her, catching her just before she hit the floor. *Wow. Just like the movies.* I completed by doing an awkward tumble-role, and having to pull my skirt down. Man, I hate that skirt- can't even stay down in a light breeze. I sighed in relief, glad that I had caught her. I was about to go back to Inuyasha, as Sesshomaru picked me up by the waist and flung me over his shoulder. The nerve of that guy! I gave an "Eep!" of surprise as he ran unnaturally fast out the door. Actually, it was kinda exhilarating, watching everything in a blur. *What am I saying?! It's Sesshomaru we're talking about here!* The young demoness was beginning to cry and for some reason, my left leg seemed heavier than my right. We had made it out of the castle alive, and Sesshomaru seemed to be slowing down considerably. I suppose it's all of the extra weight. I look up to see the castle getting smaller. All of a sudden, Sesshomaru tosses me into the air to catch me bridal style, the child still in my arms and the weight from my leg temporarily gone to reappear on my stomach. It was Shippo! I was so happy! I look back at the castle to see something zooming right at me! It was a spear of some kind.  
  
"Eep!" I yell. Sesshomaru looks at me for a moment before moving his arm in the path of the spear! He looked very ill after receiving the blow, and after that one, had gotten about seven more in the back of his legs. Talk about crash and burn! He fell on his back and slid for more than ten yards!  
  
(Normal POV)  
  
Once the dust cleared, Kagome found herself straddling an unconscious Sesshomaru. She stumbled off of him, and noticed that he still had the spears on his legs and arm.  
  
'Oh, man. What am I going to do? I should leave him, but he did save my life. And why is he unconscious? A few spears shouldn't do tha-' She stopped herself. There was only one other explanation-  
  
"Poison." She said glumly. Kagome scanned the grounds for Shippo, and found him rubbing his head by a tree.  
  
"Shippo! Go find a hot spring and fill up a bowl full. Hurry!" she yelled. Shippo made no arguments and scampered off to find the water. She had to find that special plant. what was it called? It didn't matter what it was called. She had to find it- and she was running out of time. Momentarily forgetting about the infant, she began to run off, but stopped as she heard a small cry.  
'Oh great, now I'm babysitting!' she thought sarcastically. 'Well, better bring her along, too.' She didn't have to search long, and found enough to counter the poison that had no doubt entered the blood stream. As she quickly walked back to where Sesshomaru lay, the young demon had snuggled into the arms of Kagome and was fast asleep. She smiled soothingly and lightly scratched under her chin.  
  
By the time she had returned to Sesshomaru, he was covered in cold sweat and any of the color in his porcelain face had vanished. Kagome quickened her pace and found Shippo sitting next to him, snuggling into his fluff of his right shoulder.  
  
"Shippo, you should take this girl and go get some rest. I'll take care of Sesshomaru, don't worry." She said.  
  
"Okay, okaasan. If you say so." He took the young demon in his small hands (even she was about the size of himself) and carried her to the tree that Kagome had first seen him. Now it was time to get to work. She carefully took out the spears that lined his calves and on his wrist. She used a cloth soaked in the water that Shippo had found to clean up the wound, and lightly dabbed the acid-looking holes in his once flawless skin. She mentally sighed, ' He really *did* save my life. I guess this is the right thing to do. Then we'll be even, and he can't make me his slave or something like that.'  
  
Through out the night, Kagome worked to clean up the taiyoukai. Little did she know that he was awake through most of the procedure.  
  
"Now, after mixing the elixir into paste, you rub it onto the infected area." Kagome blushed at the thought of what she would have to do. 'No way am I going to take off his pants! What am I going to do? Um.' she looked behind her to see her kit and the other demon sleeping, and turning back to Sesshomaru, inspected his face thoroughly. Once she was satisfied that he was still unconscious, Kagome took a large amount of the antidote in her small hand and hesitantly made her way up to the bottom of his pants.  
  
Some of the goop began to slide down her arm to her elbow, as she sat there, not moving. 'Don't be so childish, Kagome. If he doesn't get this, then he'll DIE! Get your mind out of the gutter and give him the stupid antidote!' she thought to herself firmly. She took a deep breath and slid her hand up, past his ankle, to the first wound. He kept going up until all of the wounds on his left leg had been covered. The goop was immediately absorbed, leaving a bright green trail way past his middle thigh. "Oh, god. I knew it! I am gonna have to go all the way up there?" She thought out loud, "No way in hell am I going." Mental slap. 'Mind over matter. You can do this, Kagome.' She took another deep breath, grabbed another handful of the goopy antidote, and slid her hand in once again, this time knowing that she wasn't going to stop once she reached the bend of his knee. . .  
  
Yay! I finished the first chapter! Well if you like it, please leave a review. If you hate it, please leave a review. If you are somewhere in between, please leave a review. All in all, leave a review. The feedback that I get will determine how fast I will post the next chapter (if I do at all.) Anyways. I look forward to what you have to say about my story. C'ya!^^ 


	2. Awkward Situations

Disclaimer: I do not nor will ever own Inuyasha. That is Rumiko Takahashi's job. (Though I wouldn't mind taking that job, ever.^^)  
  
AN: I'm sorry if this chapter isn't really as good as the first one. I'm kinda at a stand still, AKA: writers block. Please don't be mad.  
  
Rured: I apologize for the paragraphs. It was a whole lot nicer before I put it on ff.net. I guess it didn't quite agree with the format.  
  
Mala Valvah: Thank you! Here you go!  
  
Black canary: I updated as fast as I could- just for you^^  
  
Dragon Rae: It is, isn't it? Well, I hope the mischief is to your liking.  
  
Rin: Here it is!  
  
Rogue Falcon: me glad you likey! Enjoy the story!  
  
Yoyogogo: I'm glad you chose this for your first! Hope you like it!  
  
So it Would Seem.  
  
Awkward Situations  
  
Kagome slowly made her way to the kneecap. She prayed that Sesshomaru wouldn't rip her head off once he found out. 'Deep breaths, Kagome, it's up to me to save him, remember?' she thought to herself as she slid her hand farther up the demon lord's leg. ' Boy, if Inuyasha could see me now. . . '  
  
(Back at the Demon Lord of the Southern Land's castle)  
  
You could hear the shouts of Inuyasha and Lord Karniosuke from down the hall. All arrogant demons are alike- always ready to place the blame on anyone but themselves.  
  
"What did you do? That fool-of-a-demon lord has taken my daughter! I will kill you for this, haynou!" the distressed demon exclaimed. There really *was* no reason to have the doors of the study closed. You could clearly hear through the thick, oak doors without pressing your ear to it.  
  
"Me?! Well, one of my friends was taken too! I thought you 'had him under control'? What happened to that bit, hua? Not so high and mighty now, are you." Inuyasha snarled, still bitter about loosing his shard detector. 'Once I find that bastard Sesshomaru, he's gonna wish he were never born!' his thoughts full of contempt.  
  
"Well, you haven't finished your task. You *will* return with my daughter alive, and if you don't, I will hunt you down and kill you myself." The lord replied coldly. His eyes glowing with growing fury. It was insanity! This was the last time he ever put his daughter in the hands of a half-breed and his human friends! 'It really doesn't matter, though, once I get my daughter back, I will kill them all anyway.' He thought menacingly.  
  
(Somewhere in the Forest of the Southern Lands)  
  
Kagome looked at her hand, her eye twitching. '*Well, that wasn't so bad, I guess.*' she thought to herself. Only one more leg to go. Breathing in and out, she scraped the bowl to get enough in her delicate hand. With the feather-light touch of her fingers, she began to apply the goopy antidote to the taiyoukai, waiting for a bright green after affect to signal how far the poison had gotten to, and how far she would have to go to make sure the poison antidote took affect.  
  
"Well, this is great!" she exclaimed, "I'm done feeling Sesshomaru up, and now I can get some sle-" Kagome stopped, looking at his wrist. How could she forget about his wrist?! The poison was probably past his shoulder by now! She gingerly picked up his hand, his long, delicate but strong fingers lightly touching her palm. She couldn't help but lightly blush. He was a lot easer to deal with when he was unconscious. . . too bad he wasn't, though. Too bad Kagome didn't know that, either.  
  
(Sesshomaru's POV)  
  
'I still can't move, I *was* given more than the lethal dose of poison, after all. I should kill this human for touching me in such a way, but the only reason I'm still alive is because of that human. However, I, Sesshomaru, will not admit that to anyone, for only she and I will need to know. I would not want assassins following me with poison spears, even though I could easily dodge them. Damn the fates, and damn that human. If I left her, then I would not be in this position. But, then again, knowing the fates, I would probably, be like this anyway, the only difference is my living-I would no doubt be dead.  
  
My eyelids are still too heavy to lift, but at least I am conscious. As long as she doesn't go past the knee, then I will forgive her, I suppo- oh, my god! What is this human thinking? Well, this is *certainly* past the knee. . . how, awkward. I must control my self from giving a content growl. (AKA: purring^^) For a human, she certainly has a light, soft hand. What am I saying? This is Inuyasha's wench! The one who spoiled my plans with Inuyasha many a time? And yet, why is her touch soothing? I do not understand it. I should feel nothing for this insignificant human.'  
  
(End Sesshomaru's POV)  
  
Kagome was preparing to put the remainder of the antidote on his wrist, when the taiyoukai groaned and his eyelids fluttered open. She gasped in surprise to see him looking at her.  
  
"What are you doing with my hand?" he asked. She looked down to see his hand still in hers. Kagome dropped it immediately as if it were a serpent rather than a hand. He closed his eyes in pain as it hit the ground with a soft '*thud*'  
  
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I forgot that I hadn't put the antidote on yet. . ." Kagome cried, carefully picking up his hand again and placing a dab of the medicine on his infected wrist. She followed the bright green line of poison to the fluff of his shoulder, to see it reappear on his chest.  
  
Before Kagome could even ask him to remove the fluffy thing obscuring the path of the poison, Sesshomaru told her firmly, "No."  
  
"You need it. If you don't get this poison antidote, your arm will have to be cut off! Besides, the poison is spreading. If you don't get this, you won't last the night." She said firmly. Sesshomaru couldn't smell a drop of fear on her. Even so, she was right.  
  
"Why are you so eager to tend to this wound?" he asked, a small smirk playing at his features, "You seem quite enthusiastic, unlike my leg wounds, of which you were appalled. Was it the thought of going up to my thigh that had you this way?" Sesshomaru didn't smile on the outside, but on the inside, he was laughing his head off, sorta. Ahh, but to see the look on Kagome's face, it was priceless!  
  
"Y-you were a-awake?" she asked, her cheeks on fire. 'Oh my god! He was awake! Why do you hate me so, god? Why?! I can't believe I did that while he was conscious! Well this is the last time I ever do something courteous again! Either that, or I'll bash his head again, just for good measure.' Kagome smiles wickedly at the last thought, ' or maybe I'll bash his head and leave him there. . .'  
  
Hearing a weak groan brought her back to reality. Sesshomaru had his eyes closed, his face contorted in pain. She didn't wait for permission to move the fluffy thing from his shoulder, and quickly loosened the sash that held his gi in place. She rolled up his sleeve and applied the medicine to his arm evenly, eventually getting to his chest. The poison had spread even more and was now reaching the place near a human stomach. Kagome slid her petite hand across his smooth, firm chest. She blushed as she reached the beginning of his abs, and stopped.  
  
The only sound you could hear was the hissing of the medicine taking affect on the infected area of his skin, and the extremely fast heart beat of Kagome. Other than that, there was nothing. Not even crickets dared to sing. Kagome's heartbeat was pounding in her ears. She knew Sesshomaru could hear it, but was powerless to stop it. Her mind screamed for her to move her hand from his perfectly sculpted stomach, but it would not budge. She stared into the golden orbs that shined like the moon. *She saved his life, just like he did her. How. . . awkward. This was quite an awkward situation.*  
  
"Okaasan? Did you save Sesshomaru-sama yet? Why is your hand on his stomach? Is it a new game? Can I play too?" Shippo. He was cute, but damn! He was horrible at timing! Sesshomaru looked irritably at the kitsune.  
  
"Yes, I am fine. It is not a game, so you can't play. Now go and protect the princess, lest she be taken by someone." He replied coldly. Shippo looked intimidated for the first part. The last part, however, he understood. Giving a salute that Kagome taught him, he turned on his heels and scampered to the distant tree where the young demoness lay.  
  
Kagome had regained the ability to use her arm again, and it sat obediently in her lap. Sesshomaru slowly turned his head back to the human and stared at her, his expression unreadable. She smiled a little, "Your not bad with kids." She stated simply.  
  
"I have one at home." He replied, his exhaustion taking its toll. Kagome looked at him questionably for a moment, her eyes widened in realization as she remembered the girl- Rin.  
  
"I see, Rin, right? I'm sure she's a fine asset to your home." She said yawning. All of the excitement of the evening winding down.  
  
"Do not make her seem she is a profit for money to be gained." He said quietly, his eyes beginning to droop.  
  
"That isn't what I meant. What I meant was. well, I'm glad that she has a home, and I'm sure she's happy there." she replied, beginning to sway. Kagome felt lightheaded from lack of sleep and lightly groaned as she lost her balance and landed lightly in the fluff that had returned to the taiyoukai's shoulder.  
  
Sesshomaru had neither the energy nor the want to move her. She *had* saved his life, so it was alright to let her stay there for one evening, he supposed.  
  
His eyesight had become blurry and the world around him had begun to spin. He closed his eyes and was swept into a peaceful sleep.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hahaha! I'm done with this chapter! This is great! Actually, I got this BLAST of ideas near the middle of the story, so I guess it wasn't all that bad. Don't forget to leave a review. oh, and Amber, Sesshomaru-sama is wearing pants, not a dress, and he isn't gay! *Ahem* anyways. I'm really sorry it took me so long to post this chapter; I know I hate it when it takes a person more than a week to post, and yet, I did the same. I'm sorry- .- And to those who put this on their favorites. you rock. You rock my socks, and that is a lot of rocking coming from me (and now I feel like an idiot, babbling about socks- how odd.) well, I doubt anyone is reading this so, until next time. c'ya^^  
  



	3. My own Worst Enemy

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha etc. I do own, however, all of the characters that I made up. So, if you wanna use them, just e-mail me! (Though I doubt you'll want to, but if the need arises, you know where to find me^^) Also, I got the title of this chapter from the song by Less Than Jake. So, I just wanted to acknowledge that as well.  
  
AN: I am going to try to get this posted before the end of the week. I actually brainstormed on paper this time! I hope that speeds up the writing process somewhat. Well, all in all; read, enjoy, and review! (I'm stressing on the review portion, I really like reviews, they brighten my day, and school usually sucks ass so I need as much brightening as I can get. Besides, if you all grace me with your wonderful reviews, then, being on cloud 9- I will probably want to write, and I'm sure all of you want that so. . .review, review, review!! ^^)  
  
And now it is time to thank all of my reviewers, so, here it goes!^^  
  
Black canary: I'm glad you liked it! I hope you like this one, too.  
  
Aira^o^: you see, that wasn't so long of a wait! I hope you like it.  
  
Rin: Ta da! You see. . . more! (Yay!^^)  
  
Yette: I'm quite glad you like it, enjoy!  
  
Goth with a Glave: Amber! Thanks for reviewing! I know you like those 'gay' ffs, so it is a surprise you even bothered to read this one! (Just kidding^^) any ways, I hope you continue reading and whenever I put up a new chapter, I'm not going to IM you until you leave a review! (Heehee) =^.^= look! Kitty!!  
  
So it Would Seem.  
  
My Own Worst Enemy  
  
Sesshomaru felt horrible. It wasn't like him. Demons rarely slept, and when they did, it was usually an enjoyable one. He looked irritably to his right, to see a sleeping Kagome snuggling into *his* tail! Now the human stench would never come out!  
  
'What is this? A human, next to me?' he thought incredulously. Sesshomaru quickly recalled the events that had transpired. 'What was I thinking? Surely the poison had gotten to my head. I should have broken her neck for pulling something like that.'  
  
Kagome woke up and slowly stretched, letting her shirt lazily creep up past her belly button. What a weird dream! Something about Sesshomaru and poison and him picking her up and abs? What? *sigh* what an odd thing to dream about. Well, she had certainly slept well. It was like sleeping on a cloud, or something.  
  
"Inuyasha! Why didn't you wake me up?" Kagome said though a yawn. "You better not go near my backpack! We all know what happened last time you tried to make yourself ramen." She softly giggled at that thought. It was as simple as boiling water, literally. Unfortunately, Inuyasha isn't good at that and became impatient with the water and kicked the kettle, burning his foot and showering himself with nearly boiling water. After that, he was not aloud to go near her backpack, unless instructed by Kagome herself.  
  
Sesshomaru nearly snorted. How naïve, she still didn't realize that Inuyasha was nearly 40 miles away. "Who are you talking to?" he snapped. "Can you not see that he is not here? Fool." Sesshomaru saw her blush a deep crimson. Mumbling under her breath. He heard it clearly though. "So. . . it wasn't a dream. How embarrassing." She had said.  
  
"Um. . . do you want any breakfast or something?" she asked timidly. He turned his head to face her, one delicate eyebrow slightly arched.  
  
"I do not eat human food." He said plainly.  
  
"Well, sorry for asking!" she huffed.  
  
He was about to reply when he heard something- the guards. They were closing in at an alarming speed. Sesshomaru picked Kagome up and ran with his godlike speed for about 4 seconds before feeling a searing pain in his legs. ' I have to make it to the cave. It should be somewhere close to here.' he thought. It was then that Sesshomaru saw a small cave opening ahead. With new hope, he bared the growing burning sensation in his legs. He collapsed on his hands and knees once they reached the cave opening, Kagome lying on her back, her body pinned down by his. Her delicate frame was being straddled by the taiyoukai, her legs squeezed between his. At the moment, she wasn't worried about their indecent position.  
  
"Sesshomaru! You shouldn't use your legs like that! They're still healing!" she said, worry etched on her face. Her eyes suddenly widened. 'Oh my god! What am I doing like this?!' she could feel her skirt rising *way* to far up her thigh. Kagome looked up, her nose a mere inch away from Sesshomaru's. a few stray strands of his pearly white hair framing his face and resting on Kagome's cheeks.  
  
"I think they're this way!" called a guard just beyond the forest line. Kagome gasped. 'So that's why he was in such a hurry!' she thought. Sesshomaru lifted up his right arm, allowing her to leave the contours of his body. Once she was out, he slowly stood up and roughly grabbed her wrist while walking into the cave.  
  
He pushed her to the wall and took his position behind her. It was the only blind spot he could think of at the moment, and he was going to take full advantage of it. Their sent was getting stronger. Kagome seemed to know that Sesshomaru was trying to hide them from sight. 'but aren't they demons? Wont they be able to smell us?' she thought.  
  
"Sesshomaru, they should be ab-" she began to say but was cut off by Sesshomaru clasping his had over her mouth and bringing her into his chest. Her shoulder blade digging painfully into the front part of his armor. She arched her back, trying to free herself from that damned hunk of metal. Her squirming caused Sesshomaru to hold on tighter, but not before moving her slightly to the right, where she was embraced by a soft, fluffy cushion.  
  
She stopped squirming, one of Sesshomauru's arms holding Kagome to him by her waist, the other still securely over her mouth. As they stood in the quiet of the cave, they could hear the guards closing in quickly.  
  
"He's close! Remember, don't let him pass the border!" one of them yelled.  
  
'What? we're close to the border? Is it the border to the east or to the west?' Kagome though as she stood there, leaning into Sesshomaru.  
  
"Into the cave! If you find Sesshomaru, kill him! Then take the demoness!" the same demon guard yelled.  
  
Kagome suddenly turned to face Sesshomaru. She lightly moved her hands up to his hand and moving just enough to see her mouth. She had tears in her eyes as she silently mouthed two words: "the pups" How could he have forgotten? What was it about her that did this to him? He was usually three steps ahead of the enemy. Now he was only working with his last minute impulses. Mental slap. Shippo was there. It would no doubt mix up the scents. He was certain that the guards wouldn't think of him leaving Karniosuke's daughter in the hands of a kitsune pup. They would no doubt leave them alone. He had to tell Kagome that it was alright, but how?  
  
He slowly leaned down to her ear, and whispered, "Shippo will mix up the scent. They're both alright" he stayed there a second longer, his warm breath tickling her ear. She looked up at him questionably, the tears still in her eyes, but at least she understood. Satisfied, he stood straight and continued to stare at the cave opening. He was certain the guards heard him, yet they still hadn't come.  
  
He let go of Kagome's waist and readied himself for whatever might come. After five seconds, and realizing that nothing was coming, he dropped his hold on Kagome all together and began to walk to the edge of the cave, duly noting that Kagome was following him. He turned to face her, his eyes daring her to take another step. She looked up at him defiantly.  
  
"I *am* doing." She whispered stubbornly.  
  
"No. You will stay here." He replied, there was no room in his tone for discussion. There really was no reason to whisper anymore, for either something scared them off, or they knew he was in there and just waiting for him to come out. Sesshomaru would not be beaten so easily, though. If the guards were still could easily slash their throats. Actually, without his god-like speed, I might be more of a challenge. No matter, they would be disposed one way or another. He began to walk to again and like before, heard the '*crunch*' of gravel behind him.  
  
He sighed and looked to her, "Stay." He commanded. 'Why do I care if she goes or not? If she dies, it is not my problem.' He thought.  
  
"Woman, if you want a premature death, be my guest." He said as he continued to walk out of the cave.  
  
"Woman?! My name's Kagome!" she yelled as she began to run to Sesshomaru. She reached behind her to be greeted with nothing. 'I forgot! I left my backpack at the Lord of the Southern Land's castle!' she thought. While in her muses, she tripped over a particularly large stone. Giving an 'eep!' of surprise, she caught the attention of the taiyoukai, who turned to see her falling. Taking two steps towards her, he caught her with outstretched arms bringing her into his chest.  
  
"If you can't walk out of the cave without hurting yourself, then I cannot wait to see how you fare *outside* of it. Worthless human." He said quietly, letting go of her and turning to face the opening of the cave once again.  
  
He sniffed the air. The guards were defiantly gone, their fear still hung thickly in the air. Another sniff told him that the things he requested were here. Humph. They were late.  
  
"Human, go get your pup. Bring the demoness as well." He said over his shoulder casually, as he walked out of the cave.  
  
'Worthless! I'm. . . worthless. He's right, I can't do anything! Even with my miko powers, I'm nothing.' She thought as she silently obeyed, walking to the camp sight to see a big rock with a fluffy tail.  
  
"Come on Shippo, Let's go." She said quietly.  
  
"Okaa-san? What's wrong? Where are we-" he stopped as an extremely large shadow engulfed them.  
  
"You ask too many questions." called Sesshomaru. Kagome turned around to be greeted by one of Ah-un's legs. Over whelmed, she fell on her butt and looked dumbly up at the descending Sesshomaru. He looked down at her, some of his hair swirling in the wind that had picked up.  
  
"Sesshomaru-sama! You are here! Rin is so happy!" squealed a girl. And with lightning-fast speed, she zoomed to his side, hugging his leg affectionately. He looked down at her and lightly patted her head.  
  
Rin looked up at him and smiled brightly. She suddenly looked over to Kagome and smiled even brighter. "Sesshomaru-sama! Is this going to be my nee-chan? I have waited so long! Oh, thank you, Sesshomaru-sama! She jumped over to Kagome and gave her a big hug.  
  
"Stop, Rin. This is Kagome." Sesshomaru told her in his normal, expressionless voice.  
  
Rin did as she was told, not moving at all. "So, this is not Rin's nee-chan?" she asked.  
  
"No." he said. Kagome was lost. Had Rin really waited a long time to have a motherly companion? That was so sweet. She wouldn't mind taking care of her for the time being. It might be fun!  
  
"I wouldn't mind being your Nee-chan, Rin. I guess I could do it for a little while." Kagome replied brightly. She saw Rin's eyes light up with glee, and was pushed to the ground with a fierce hug from Rin. Shippo not wanting to be left out decided to hug his okaa-san as well. Sesshomaru looked down at her, scowling. 'I told her no. Is Kagome *trying* to make a fool of me?' Sesshomaru thought angrily.  
  
"Rin. Get on Ah-un with Shippo and the demoness." Sesshomaru told her. Rin bowed and ran to Shippo, taking his hand in hers and ran to the large demon. She stopped suddenly and turned to face Kagome and Sesshomaru, her brow furrowed in concentration as she struggled to remember something she forgot. She suddenly smiled as she told Shippo to stay there while she got something. She quickly ran back to Kagome, holding out her hands and smiling sweetly. Kagome giggled and bent down to pick up the small demon. She carefully put her in Rin's arms and ruffled her hair.  
  
"Go on, now, Rin. Shippo is waiting for you." She said motherly as Rin nodded her head enthusiastically and turned to walk slowly to Shippo, looking at her feet and then the baby to make sure nothing happened to her. She wanted to show her nee-chan that she was responsible.  
  
Once Rin was out of earshot, Sesshomaru turned to face Kagome fiercely. "What were you thinking, saying something like that to her? Especially if I said no." he growled. Kagome turned away from the children boarding Ah-un. She looked up at him for a moment before giving a small smile. This caught him by surprise. 'Why in the seven hells is she smiling?' he thought.  
  
"Sesshomaru, I may not have very much strength here," she said as she pointed to one of her arms, "but I do have strength here." She pointed to her heart. He had no idea what she was getting at, so remained silent, a sign to continue. "I know that I don't have some strong, magical sword and my arrows aren't the best, but I still have my haven. Do you know where that is?" she paused, but not long enough for him to answer. " My haven is my heart, and my memories. So, sometimes when I don't like all the violence, or feel insecure, I will go there- into the contours of my heart and mind. My impulses are dictated by what goes on inside there." He continued to stare at her. Why was she telling him this? "I told Rin that, only because everyone needs to have a haven as well. When you are a child, it is difficult to have a haven that you cannot see. You may not want to have a place filled with memories if all the memories you have are sad ones. She might need a person like me who knows the emotions that she has. Perhaps all she needs is a person who can relate to her. I may not be her mother, but I can still try." She told him. "So that means I am not worthless, either." Kagome's smile widened a bit as she stared into the never-ending golden orbs that shined like the harvest moon.  
  
Sesshomaru stared at her, trying to comprehend all of what she told him. That was very bold of her, speaking in such a manner-and to him! The Great Demon Lord of the Western Lands! She continued to stare at him. He took a deep breath, preparing to grab her neck and squeeze until he heard the 'snap' of her neck breaking, but stopped. In the deep breath he took, more than half of it was filled with the scent that was Kagome. He hadn't noticed it before, but it was quite nice. In fact, almost intoxicating. He was tempted to take another swallow of her scent but stopped. Mental slap.  
  
'What are you thinking? She is a human, beneath me. I cannot allow her to do any more damage to my life. Now Rin thinks that she will stay with us. How will I tell her that she is most certainly not?' he thought.  
  
Kagome was satisfied with the way she talked to him. She could tell her was deep in thought. She turned her head and began to walk away when she was stopped by Sesshomaru's hand. It firmly met with her cheek and she staggered for a few steps. She could feel it pulsing. It felt like I was on fire.  
  
"Never speak to me like that again, human." He spat. She quickly turned to face him, her eyes full of rage. How dare he? He was the most arrogant demon she had ever met! '*Never speak to me that way again*? That was bullshit! Before she could even blink, another painful slap was administered on her other cheek.  
  
"And never look at me that way again, either." He said in his emotionless voice. Kagome gave a groan of pain as her knees buckled and she fell to the ground. From the position she was in, it looked as if she were bowing to him, her eyes hidden behind her ebony locks. She slowly reached up to touch one of her cheeks. They burned to the touch. She felt light headed and began to sway.  
  
'No! Stay awake! Don't give him the satisfaction of knowing he won. C'mon, Kagome, stay awake! You have to-' she fell to the ground, unconscious. Sesshomaru was going to leave her, but thought better of it, knowing that her kit and Rin were awaiting her return. He slung her carelessly over his shoulder.  
  
"Oh, god dammit, Sesshomaru." She moaned as she woke up. He stopped and dropped her to the ground; her poor rear was beginning to get sore.  
  
"Get up, human." He replied and stood there less than patiently awaiting her stand.  
  
"You really weren't thinking, were you Sesshomaru. How do you think the children will react to this?!" she yelled. It hurt to do that, her head still spinning from getting slapped so hard.  
  
He looked at her, almost smiling. It was simple, really, "You will not tell them. I know that while your respect towards me may be less than perfect, you would not want to trouble Rin. Much less your kit, so I am not worried." He said coldly, gracefully moving around her and continued to move towards Ah-un.  
  
He was quite satisfied with himself. He should have done that a lot sooner. Now maybe she will know her place. Little did he know that the young woman that was standing behind him had a vow right then and there to befriend the very taiyoukai that had slapped her that evening. She would make sure to do it, even if it took her one hundred years.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~[] ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
*sigh* well, chapter 3, folks. I'm sorry about the Sesshomaru-slapping- kagome-to-the-extent-of-making-her-unconscious part. I thought Sesshomaru was getting *way* too OOC. It was disturbing. Anyways. happy birthday, Amber^^ we all love you! Say happy birthday to Amber, readers! (happy birthday!) ok, now that that is over, I would like to tell you all that this week is parent teacher conference, so while that is the omen for being grounded, I will be getting home at 1:30 and will have a hell of a lot more free time, so I'm guessing that I'll be able to post sooner. (I hope. . . U_U;) anyways. . . I hope you liked this one. Oh! I NEED YOUR HELP! Please leave a name idea for the young demoness. Kagome is going to name her and I don't have a clue of what that would be. So if you could leave a name with your review, that would be great.^^ (That means that you have to leave a review!) 


	4. Important Notice:

ATTENTION! AN: I regret to inform you that I will not be able to update for a while. I am in the hospital now for reasons concerning my extremely bad asthma. Unfortunately, I will not be near a computer and since I don't own a laptop, I am equally screwed. Actually, I think the bad thing is that the hospital shows Cartoon Network until 11:00 and doesn't come back on till after 2:00. That means NO Adult Swim!! That sucks ass, I mean if I'm going to be stuck in that sterile environment, I should at least be able to the one block that makes me happy, right? *Sigh* Well, I guess you can't get every thing. . . Anyways, thank you for your consideration, and I hope you understand. Well, I guess you'll hear from me when I'm better!! =^.^=  
  
Your corresponding (and sick) friend,  
Neptune21 


	5. Try Honesty: Part I

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha etc. I have $12 in change (including pennies) and 10 of those dollars are going to the Love Hina manga (that or the 8th Chobits- I don't know which one yet) Innyhoo, you will get two dollars if you sue, and that would be pretty damn stupid if you ask me. I just like writing the stories for no money gain. ^^  
  
AN: Yay! I'm all better now! All in all, it wasn't that bad, I guess. Unfortunately for me, though, my younger sister had a birthday party last night and invited fifteen girls to sleep over! I thought I was in hell, all of those screaming girls running around and inviting themselves into my room. Erin and I were trying to read manga and they would just walk in! I mean, damn! *Deep breath* ok, now that that's over, on with the story!! Oh, and by the way, I got the idea for the title from yet another song. This time by Billy Talent. Yup, that song kicks some ass! *^^* Never mind.  
  
Aira ^o^: thank you! I'm feeling great!  
  
Rin: Wow. I would never have guessed that you had asthma! I don't know, you seem so. . . well, energetic! (And that's a good thing, too^^) thanks for reviewing!  
  
Goth With A Glave: oh my, I told you Amber, no OOC. I am trying really hard to keep the characters in perspective! Now, if I may ask, when did Inuyasha turn Goth? And a time warp? Where do you come up with this stuff? *Sigh* you read too many AU fanfics. Innyhoo, thanks for the name, considering that you were the ONLY one who did it.. *grumbles* well, enjoy the story. P.S. I had chicken ramen and I LIKED IT!! ^^  
  
Dragon Rae: Thanks. No adult swim + steroid-high emotional girl (note: the steroids were "necessary". I personally hate them- you have no control over your emotions and think irrationally) + no computer= MaD Neptune  
  
Bunni Chibi: of course I know Billy Talent! How did you know that I was going to use them? Wow. That's freaky. they were playing for the 99X upstart fest last summer. Tickets were only $7! Unfortunately, I had no money to spare at the time and couldn't go. That really sucked! And then my friend Amy went (and got her shoe signed by them!) and shoved it in my face! I was so pissed, because she was all, "we shoved our way to the front. . . oh! It was sooo worth it! I got my shoe signed by Billy Talent! Aaron was so nice. . . !" shit like that. I know she did it on purpose. Anyways, what do you think about Thrice? I got the CD on Sunday. It rocks! ^^  
  
So it Would Seem.  
  
Try Honesty: Part I  
  
Kagome was trying extremely hard not to fall asleep. It was difficult, seeing as how Shippo was curled up in her arms and Rin lay right next to her, snuggling into her side. The young demoness lay opposite to Rin, and just as comfortable. Sesshomaru stood with his back facing the small group, admiring the scenery that was his domain, while Jaken looked up at his master and contemplated why exactly Sesshomaru had picked up yet another human. 'Sesshomaru-sama would never do something so drastic without having something in mind.' He thought. The setting sun was low on the horizon and the reptile demon Ah-Un showed no signs of stopping. Not unless someone wanted it to, that is.  
  
Her eyes drooped and she was heading into sleep. She could feel it now. Consciousness was drifting away as fast as the stars began to show in the sky. The warmth that engulfed her from the three children only further encouraged her to rest. Behind half-closed thick lashes she noticed a shadow coming towards her. She smiled sleepily, her eyes closing fully. Sesshomaru looked down at her, 'What is *she* smiling about?' he thought. The taiyoukai kneeled to her level, looking at her closed eyes with his cold, unemotional ones. Slowly, his hand began to move up to her cheek, stopping right before he touched her.  
  
"Wake up human." He commanded. Her brows furrowed, and she mumbled incoherently. Sesshomaru raised a delicate eyebrow, almost smirking. 'Good. I didn't want her to wake up anyway.' He thought. Sesshomaru closed the distance between his hand and her cheek. He didn't even have to touch it very hard before she winced and looked up at him with hurt eyes.  
  
"Prepare to carry your kit. We need to stop here for the night." He said in a low voice, slowly standing. Kagome didn't understand. Why did they need to stop? Wouldn't he want to get to, where ever he was going to go, as soon as possible? Wouldn't stopping take them longer?  
  
"Why?" she asked meekly. He stopped and turned his head to face her.  
  
"Ah-Un cannot last throughout the night at this pace with all of this weight. It is imperative that we get through the Crossover Forest as fast as we can. Many demons from both the Southern Lands and the Western Lands reside here. We cannot risk Ah-Un over staining themselves and passing out. We need to have them ready if anything should. . . come up." He replied. She couldn't help but notice the way he had paused before finishing. Kagome knew that he was getting annoyed, but she needed to know what he was talking about. He was being too vague!  
  
"What do you mean, 'if anything should come up'?" she enquired. Sesshomaru sighed. All of her talking was giving him a headache.  
  
"I told you, there are many things living here that could hurt you! Most all of these demons have been *banished* to living the Crossover Forest! They have no doubt acquired a taste for human blood!" He yelled. "Even Rin isn't in as much trouble as you." He continued, cooling down, "You are older, and are more mature. Your Aura alone should draw the most ruthless demons to you, not to mention that you hold the Shikon-No-Tama." He concluded, finally looking down at her with his magnificent amber eyes to see her pale with worry.  
  
"Does that mean that Shippo's in danger?" she asked quietly, looking down at her kitsune. Sesshomaru resisted the erg to ask her to come again. All this time she hadn't been worried for herself but her child? He wasn't even in trouble! He stared at her, his façade remaining the same, but his inner thoughts continued, giving his headache a boost.  
  
"No," he replied, "your kit is not in danger, but you most certainly are." Kagome's head shot up, looking into his unemotional eyes with ones full of surprise.  
  
"Sesshomaru.?" she questioned. Sesshomaru played what he had said over in his head and almost blinked in surprise to recover what he told her- out loud. "Sesshomaru, are you alright?" she asked, her hand reaching up to his face. He was compelled to move away, but found that he couldn't. His feet stayed, no matter how loud his mind screamed for him to move. And *that* most certainly didn't help his headache.  
  
Her hand continued to come closer to his face.  
  
"Nope, no fever." she mumbled. (AN: I know! What a way to ruin the moment. . .) Sesshomaru grew extremely angry. What the hell was she doing? He roughly grabbed her wrist and threw it away from his forehead.  
  
"Stupid human." He spat. "What were you doing, touching me in such a manner." She giggled at his comment. And lightly shook her head. But, *why* was he disappointed? What did he want her to do? He couldn't get the feeling off his chest, and that annoyed him. He wasn't used to not having control over things. The new feeling did not appeal to him at all. Sesshomaru gave Kagome a cold look as he turned to face Rin and the young demoness. Both were still sleeping soundly, but the kitsune was awake and staring at him angrily.  
  
"Sesshomaru, didn't you learn to treat women with respect?" the kitsune asked rudely. The taiyoukai looked at Shippo with darkening amber eyes. However, before he could reply (with his claws), the human woman spoke:  
  
"Shippo! How rude! Didn't you learn to speak to you elders with respect? Now, apologize." She commanded sternly. The kitsune pouted, but did as he was told, and mumbled an apology.  
  
Ah-Un stopped as Sesshomaru tenderly picked up Rin, Jaken following not far behind. Kagome, who was still on the reptile beast, stared after them. It was quite an odd family. Then again, Kagome and Shippo were as well. She and Inuyasha. Her eyes grew wide. 'Inuyasha.' She thought 'Oh my god. How could I forget?! I bet he's worried sick! We have been gone for two days now and I still haven't seen any trace of him.' She thought.  
  
"Are you coming?" came the stoic voice that brought her out of her thoughts. She gave a quick shake of her head to clear her mind before scooping up the demoness and instructing Shippo to follow her and not get too far behind.  
  
"Shippo," she called kindly, "hurry up, your falling behind again." Kagome turned around, only to be greeted with nothing. "Shippo?" she questioned more urgently. Still nothing. 'Dammit, Sesshomaru said that no one would want to mess with him!' she thought. Kagome looked back in the direction Sesshomaru was. She was tempted to say something to him, but thought better of it. Kagome was capable of taking care of her own child. She began to retrace her steps, hoarsely whispering her child's name.  
  
Sesshomaru stopped suddenly, Jaken, the ugly toad demon, nearly running into him. The taiyoukai duly noted that the human woman was no longer behind him. He could clearly hear her whisper her kit's name. 'So, he has gone missing.' He thought. 'He probably fell asleep while we were walking.' He looked down at the sleeping Rin in his arms. She looked even more innocent, clutching her "father's" haori in her small fists. 'Should I bring Rin with me, or leave her with Jaken and Ah-Un? All I am doing is getting the human and her kit after all.  
  
Sesshomaru used his nose to track where Kagome was *supposed* to be. His eyes narrowed, all of his scenes doubling. He gave a feral growl low in his chest, which woke the slumbering Rin.  
  
"Sesshomaru-sama?" she whispered. Even she could feel the ominous forbidding of this part of the forest. Surly the human woman felt it too. Then again, if Shippo were in the middle of it, she would defiantly ignore it and go to him.  
  
"Kagome." Rin breathed.  
  
The taiyoukai's head shot down to face her.  
  
"Where is she, Rin." It was meant to be a question, but came out as a statement. More of a command. He was defiantly *not* used to asking questions. He knew everything he needed to. That is until he met *her*. The human and her kit. His thoughts had been jumbled, he wasn't thinking of things he used to.  
  
"Where is she?" He repeated.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Kagome searched franticly for Shippo. Where the hell was he? She looked attentively for any signs of the kitsune. A shiver ran down her back as she neared a small cove in the forest, in the center was the sleeping Shippo. 'He must have fallen asleep while we were walking.' She thought. Kagome remembered with a start what she had thought towards Sesshomaru. 'I'll have to thank him for telling me that Shippo would be alright. Even though I didn't believe him, but I really should! I mean, he knows more about the Western Lands than I do.' She thought as she rearranged the demoness in her arms to carry the sleeping Shippo.  
  
It was easer said than done, both were about the same size, and she could carry only one comfortably. Kagome eventually got both of them situated as she began to walk out of the cove. 'I don't like this place.' She thought. 'There is something wrong here-something forbidding.' Suddenly, Kagome could no longer breath. "Hel . . ." she gasped, but couldn't get the 'p' out. The last thought that went through her mind was a surprising one, she *should* have been thinking if the two children in her arms, or a certain hanyou, but instead, it was Sesshomaru. 'Sesshomaru, please, notice I'm gone. . .'  
  
(AN: I should end it here, yes, I think I will. It's been so long since my last post. I feel bad for not hurrying up!)  
  
Well, I guess this is a cliffhanger. I don't like them. I don't like to write them. I don't like to read them, either. I call them unnecessary tension. I mean, I get enough of that every day! Oh, by the way, did you hear that I got a 73 in Spanish? *Sigh* hello? It's really not that hard! I passed most of my tests, and, yeah, so I didn't turn in all of my homework. Like that can make my grade go down that much! And then the teacher from the black lagoon Crosby gave me a freakin' 78.and the sad thing about that is that Social Studies is, or rather was, my favorite subject, too. Well, all in all, my quarter was screwed. If I don't do better, I might not be able to post in a long time. As always: please leave a review! 


	6. Try Honesty: Part II

Disclaimer: Nope, I sill don't own Inuyasha. But, don't worry, I'll be sure to tell you as soon as it becomes otherwise.  
  
AN: I don't have anything to say. I doubt you care, because, please, like you read this! Anyways, I think the only important thing that happened the weekend of the 25th, would be that I got three new manga: the 8th Chobits, the 3rd Love Hina, and the 1st Please Teacher. I read them all in one night, while waiting for Rurouni Kenshin. But it REALLY sucks, because they started over and they didn't even kiss! I was really upset, but I got over it. ^^;;  
  
~*~ And now it's time to personally thank all of my reviewers. . . !  
  
* Anoi: well, here you go! I worked as fast as I could; I tried to get it up fast. . . I don't know. (your screen name changes are confusing! I was about to write a review response for you twice!)  
  
* aa: um, ok. ^^; well, whatever rocks your boat, I guess. Thanks for reviewing all the same, though!  
  
* Psycolady101: Thanks! Yea, I'm all-better here, but I *did* have to get those allergy shots. The really sucky thing about that (besides getting all of those needles being poked in various places of my body) was that I turned out being allergic to EVERYTHING they tested me for! Now tell me that that's not the most. . . *sigh* never mind. Well, enjoy chapter six! ( it's really five, but. . . ok, just enjoy)  
  
* HellzAznGrl: so true. . . I'm so glad you like this story enough to call it a 'favorite'! That makes me super-happy! (Disregard the last hyphenated word, I couldn't think of a very good alternative, perhaps ecstatic is the word I'm looking for. . .? Yeah, use that one instead of "super-happy". It sounds better. ^^)  
  
* Bunni Chibbi: Lol! If only you told me that three months ago. . . Just Kidding! I'm glad you like the fifth chapter, and yes, I have the third Thrice cd. ^^ Don't be jealous, it only makes it harder on me. ^^; Enjoy the story!  
  
* Goth with a Glave: -.-; Amber. . . I-I don't get you. First of all, how do you know they have a kid, hua?! Perhaps one of them dies before they can have a kid! Did you think of that?! And- and I don't bitch!! Your poem was good, by the way, and so far, all fingers are pointing to Inuyasha/Kikyou. I'm sorry. Hey! I don't like it either, but what can you say? Maybe Kikyou will get with him, but, I don't know, die or something. . . I'll have to think about it. I'm kinda making this up as I go along. I mean, I have the basic idea, but I hate the prewriting, drafting, editing crap I have to do at school. I just want to WRITE! As for the time warp thing, only in your dreams! ^^ Wait. . . maybe it *will* be a dream. . . thanks, Amber! I owe you one! ^-^  
  
*Anonimo: ^^; thanks. My teacher says I need all the help I can get. She says, "You aren't working up to your potential. You did so good the year before." Honestly, I think it's her teaching method. My friend and I both agree. (but then again, my friend barely made it last year, so. . .) well, I think I can tell you with almost positive certainty that you will be getting an e-mail from me before we take the chapter test (whenever that is, I wasn't really paying attention) I would ask my dad, but I don't get it when he tells me, you know? He just goes off on these conjugation things that have no relevancy to what we're talking about! *sigh* but don't tell him I said that, I think he likes to "pass on his heritage". He gets all excited, or whatever. I guess it's a dad thing. ^^;;;  
  
* Dragon Rae: Hee hee! If I told you, then what fun would it be?!  
  
That's all for now. . . I really want 50 (that's my goal to get to before chapter 10, I don't know, I guess it's something to wish for. . . ) *^^*;;  
  
So it Would Seem.  
  
Try Honesty Part II  
  
Sesshomaru followed Rin's shaking finger to the center of the cove. He looked he looked back at the girl he held in his arms.  
  
"Rin, I see nothing." He told her.  
  
"Sesshomaru-sama, she's not moving." The young girl bit her trembling lower lip, her eyes wide and skin pale. "Does that mean Sesshomaru-sama cannot save Rin's nee-chan? Rin whispered hoarsely, unshed tears brimming her innocent, chocolate eyes.  
  
Sesshomaru's stoic façade remained the same, his eyes still on the spot Rin had pointed out. 'what can this mean? Why can Rin only see her?' he thought.  
  
¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸ (( isn't that the coolest?! I, um. . . borrowed to from someone)  
  
The air demon that was sealed in the cove was finally able to work his hellish deeds on others again. It had waited over two hundred years for someone foolish enough to wake him. All he had to do was suck in all of the oxygen, leaving only carbon dioxide in the small, cove-prison. He almost laughed, but was careful not to-for if he did, all of the oxygen would come pouring out. All he wanted was a body to possess, nothing more! Now, all that was left was the simple task of waiting for the human woman to die. True, he was hoping on a more powerful male, but she would have to do for the time being.  
  
Once he found a more feral-looking male to possess, he would leave the pathetic human and gain control of the body more to his liking. For now, the girl's body would surly lure in a lusting male. At that moment of vulnerability, he would leave the human woman and go into the demon male. The plan was completely foolproof! It was then that he saw the small kitsune pup in her arms. He paid him no mind, noting that he was almost dead himself. In fact the air demon marveled in his good luck-should the woman's frail human body begin to rot, he could easily switch with the kitsune pup's. If he could, he would have sighed in content. The air demon *didn't* notice the kitsune stir-moving out of the young woman's grasp. . .  
  
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Sesshomaru stared at the place Rin pointed at. Suddenly, Shippo appeared- out of nowhere. It was then that Sesshomaru realized what was happening. He set Rin down on the forest ground, careful not to set her near an animal's home.  
  
"Rin, stay here. Do not move from this spot until I say so, got that?" he asked, looking into her eyes. Rin sniffed, nodding her head enthusiastically.  
  
"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama. Rin will not move until Sesshomaru-sama says to move." She said, giving a small smile and a nod to confirm that she wasn't going anywhere until her surrogate father said so.  
  
"Good." Was his reply. He quickly stood, turning to where the kitsune lay suffocating with his mother. Taking a slow, deep breath, he walked into the small cove, ever mindful of how long he could hold his own breath before he too would be in the same predicament as the others.  
  
He could finally see the woman Kagome lying in the middle of the cove, just as Rin told him. He was aware of what was happening-it was a low- class air demon, nothing more. That would explain why he couldn't see the woman, she wasn't the same species as him. He was silently thankful that Rin couldn't see the kitsune. Sesshomaru didn't want to think of what she would do, only because he thought they were getting along so well, almost like friends. Maybe they were, he wasn't sure, but if she liked him like she liked Kagome, then he was certain Rin wouldn't have been able to keep those tears at bay any longer than she did.  
  
The taiyoukai entering the cove was a big surprise to the air demon, such a surprise, that the air he was holding left him and oxygen returned to the closed cove once again.  
  
"Y-you," gasped the air demon, "Look what you've done!" Sesshomaru never looked at the core of the air demon, but instead gazed at the woman who lay motionless on the ground. 'Why doesn't she move? Is she-?' Sesshomaru thought as he stared at her. Shippo coughed as he regained consciousness, looking at his mother lying on the ground.  
  
"Okaa-san?" he called weakly. At this, Sesshomaru was next to the woman's side, gently lifting her from her fallen position. She lied limply in his arms.  
  
"Kagome." Sesshomaru's voice commanded an answer, but got none. "Kagome, answer Me." he tried again, less feral this time, "Kagome, please answer Me." he looked down at her unmoving form, seeing the kitsune's eyes begin to water. He couldn't hear her heartbeat over the air demon's rants, which was not a very good thing. He slowly, almost hesitantly, lowered his head to her chest, searching for any sign of life.  
  
The taiyoukai was graced with a small, faint heartbeat.  
  
"Sesshomaru? Is she. . . you know-dead?" Shippo asked quietly. He had already lost his real parents, he most certainly didn't want to loose his *other* mother, the one who, at times, seemed better than his original. He looked over to the air demon, whose aura was directed at Sesshomaru. He stopped his little rant, and was silent. All in all, it was strange. Shippo had no idea what was going on inside that hell-demon's twisted mind. Frankly, he didn't care to. The only thing he could think about was getting his okaa-san to safety, and before he finished his hellish deeds.  
  
Kagome bolted upright, coughing violently. It took a few seconds to realize whose lap she was in. She was so exhausted, she didn't care, in fact, plopped back into his lap.  
  
"Sesshomaru," she groaned, "You said my name." Sesshomaru was, to say the least, surprised that he was the first one she spoke to. It was almost as though she was thinking about *him*. After heaving lung full after lung full of air, she gulped down a cry remembering what it felt like; trying to breath and not having anything come in. Kagome began to cry silently cry, clutching Sesshomaru's haori. He saved her-and she was forever in his debt.  
  
"Oh, Kagome, I thought you were. . . gone." Shippo whispered, walking over to his mother. Sesshomaru stopped him from hugging her.  
  
"She is weak, you should give her all of the air you can. Hugging her is not a good idea now." He told the teary-eyed kitsune. Shippo nodded slowly watching as Sesshomaru carefully picked up his mother. "Go to Rin, I do not think this is over yet," he said once he was standing upright. Shippo readily obeyed, noting that Sesshomaru seemed to be trustworthy.  
  
"You seem to know your way 'round here," the air demon mused, "not to mention you have many strong and have many power." Sesshomaru ignored the air demon's lack of grammar and let him continue. It was quite obvious that he had been sealed in the cove for a long time. That was quite good news, considering you needed to constantly have a body to possess in order to maintain strength and power. Sesshomaru noted warily that fifty percent of that power came from the body it possessed. Sesshomaru was no fool, he knew well that the low demon wished to possess his body from the way it's aura seemed to swell around him, watching him.  
  
"The answer is no." Sesshomaru said, not even waiting for the demon to go into more detail.  
  
"Ahh, but I do not think you are in the position to tell me what to do. . ." the air demon cackled. It was doing something-but what?! Sesshomaru swore to himself, 'Hidden energy! This demon is much stronger than I originally anticipated. Dammit, how could I have let my guard down so easily?' It was then that he looked down at the body in his arms. 'Could it be her? Is she the one doing this to me?' he thought.  
  
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Kagome sensed a jewel shard-many, actually. Where were they all coming from? Naraku perhaps? She lifted her heavy eyelids to stare into fierce molten gold. At first she was startled, but remembered who she was with. Her eyes softened, giving a weak smile.  
  
"Sesshomaru, jewel shards." She whispered quietly. Sesshomaru continued to stare at her, making her uneasy in his intense gaze.  
  
"I do not know what you mean. You have the jewel shards, not I. Remember, we are in a sealed pla-" he stopped dead. Yet again, he underestimated this damned air demon! How many more times was he going to do this?  
  
"Then, does that mean over half of the jewel went to a demon that we can't even see?" Kagome asked, her voice growing cold. 'This is all my fault! I should have been stronger, and then I wouldn't have fainted! If I was only more like Sesshomaru, or Inuyasha, or Sango, or Miroku. . .Inuyasha.'  
  
Sesshomaru saw the change in Kagome's expression. 'She thinks this is her fault.' He thought, 'But it isn't. All it is, are the fates playing a cruel trick.' Sesshomaru was tempted to smooth out her hair and tell her. . . something comforting? All of these "air demon complications" *must* be getting to his head. Surly he didn't think what he did! The taiyoukai looked to what seemed the center of the aura flow he proceeded to question the demon. If he could get enough information, then perhaps they would be able get out with out any loss. True, he usually didn't give a damn about anyone threatening him, and kill them on the spot for daring to challenge the Great Lord of the Western Lands, but this time he had a small burden that was having trouble breathing lying in his arms. This demon would get off easy tonight, but Sesshomaru would be sure to come back and kill him in the near future.  
  
"And what do you plan to do with us?" he enquired, playing the fools' hand, and acting like he knew nothing. The taiyoukai was quite aware of how arrogant some demons could be. Perhaps this would be one of them, and he would be able to get him while he was gloating. Then again, it looked as if this demon had more experience than he let on-playing the same game as him. . .?  
  
"Like I would tell you. I am no fool, I have been locked in this prison for much too long. I, as anyone in my position, am craving to get out." The air demon told him. Big mistake. Now he had unintentionally told Sesshomaru where his core was. Now, all that was left was to walk to it, and thrust his sharp, deadly claws up into it.  
  
"I am sorry, what was it you said?" Sesshomaru replied, his façade never faulting. While doing this, he was taking slow, steady steps to the core.  
  
The air demon laughed; slow and menacing. "Do you take me for a fool again?" it boomed, its voice bouncing off the transparent spell-protected walls. "Do you think that I will not possess your body because you feign hard of hearing?"  
  
"No." Sesshomaru said simply. It had let its guard down long enough for the taiyoukai to *walk* to the air demon's core. After rearranging the woman in his arms, he lifted a hand swiftly into the center of the core, with a twist of the wrist, (AN: look! I rhymed!) the hell-bound demon died. 'That was much easer that I originally anticipated.' Sesshomaru thought lightly. 'Wait. Didn't he obtain nearly half of the sacred jewel? Wouldn't that make him a more formidable opponent?' he quickly pulled out the "heart" of the demon with his hand.  
  
Sesshomaru looked down at the heart of the demon. It was still beating!  
  
"Do you think you can be rid of me so easily?" the demon choked. Sesshomaru could feel the air around him constricting. He was sucking out all of the oxygen again!  
  
"Damn you." Sesshomaru growled, suddenly remembering the woman he held in his arms. He let his cold mask falter for only a moment to notice that she was, yet again, falling towards death.  
  
"Kagome." He whispered, hoping that she had not lost consciousness.  
  
There was no answer.  
  
"You, demon!" Sesshomaru exclaimed, his eyes tinting red as he again progressed to the core of the air demon. "You will die before this night is though," all throughout his short speech, the air was growing more and more constricted. He knew the woman would not last much longer, but what was he supposed to do about it? He could no longer just walk out as he had instructed Shippo to do-for now he was using his ability. The only way would be for him do defeat the air demon was either to kill it himself, or to have someone walk in like he had earlier. Then again, now with all of the jewel shards, Sesshomaru doubted if that would even work.  
  
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Shippo watched all that had transpired while he was out of the cove. At first, it seemed as if Sesshomaru would be able to save his mother. He had pulled out the damned demon's demented heart and for the love of god- he should have died! But then, well, it didn't die. It must have been those Shikon shards. Those were being more of a bother than help these days.  
  
Rin brought him out of his thoughts by asking, "Why is Sesshomaru-sama still fighting?" She looked up at the kitsune, her eyes full of tears. She had not moved from the spot Sesshomaru had instructed her to stay in. Rin was not going to move until Sesshomaru-sama told her himself it was okay to get up.  
  
Shippo looked at the young girl, not knowing what to say. Really, though- why *was* he still fighting? He thought he was strong! Was he hurt? Did the air demon take all of the air yet again? That bastard! 'Cause if he did, he was going to have to take care of that nasty demon himself! He would save the day- Rin wouldn't cry anymore and Kagome okaa-san would be safe! "Don't worry, Rin, if Sesshomaru can't handle it, I'll be sure to jump right in! Okay?" he jumped up in the air, turning into an almost perfect image of Sesshomaru. Only Shippo's tail remained.  
  
Rin giggled in delight, clapping her petite hands in joy. She stopped as she heard a rustle on the bushes ominously close to the demon's cove. Shippo seemed to notice it as well as he returned to his original form. "Shippo, Rin is scared. Did Shippo hear what Rin heard?" Rin asked. A trembling lip replaced the happy smile that she wore only moments before.  
  
"Don't worry! The Great Shippo-chan will explore the untracked terrain of the *bushes*" he said, trying to entertain Rin so she wouldn't cry anymore. In reality, he was scared himself, but he wasn't about to tell the young Rin that. He was going to be brave-for her.  
  
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Sesshomaru gave a low growl. It was one of the rare growls he gave of pure disgust. It rumbled low in his chest, temporarily awakening the young woman in his arms. His head shot down as he heard her stir.  
  
"Kagome?" he asked, forgetting about the demon momentarily. All of the oxygen was gone, only carbon dioxide remained in the small cove. 'Damn, I gave nearly a sixth of my oxygen to an unconscious woman. A *human* woman, at that.' It was then that he had a, well, ludicrous thought, 'If I were to give her half of my oxygen, then perhaps she would last a few moments longer. . .' he was appalled at the thought-was he suggesting that he put *his* mouth to hers, and give her *his* oxygen? *Never*. Never would he do something like that!  
  
"Sesshomaru. . ." the woman rasped, weakly gabbing at his haori, "You need to go deeper into the core. I can see the Shikon jewel, it's in there- " with that she stopped breathing and went limp in his arms once again. This time, however, he was certain that she would not return. Not unless he did something, that is.  
  
With that in mind, he leaned down. . .  
  
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Shippo creped to the noise that resided in the bushes only moments ago. He prayed to Kami that it was nothing or it had already left. He didn't need to be surprised by another demon. Especially since he was all alone.  
  
'Why am I doing this again?' Shippo asked himself. He stopped two steps short from the bush and turned to see Rin. She smiled lightly and cocked her head slightly to the side, silently asking what the hold-up was. Shippo smiled brightly and turned to the bush once again. 'Oh, yeah,' he thought, 'that's why.'  
  
He took a deep breath and quickly shoved the protruding foliage out of his way. "B-baby?" he said out loud. He heard Rin's innocent laughter behind him as he went to pick the demoness infant up. 'Well, at least it wasn't a *bad* demon.' He thought as he walked back to Rin, chuckling himself.  
  
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It was then that Sesshomaru felt the presence of that damned air demon coming closer. It was going to possess the human woman! Sesshomaru gave a demonic smile, 'This will be interesting. I did tell him he would die tonight after all. . .' he briefly looked at the heart lying on the ground, knowing once he retrieved the Shikon jewel from the hell-bound beast he would die for sure.  
  
"Die," he said simply before thrusting a poison-filled claw into the core and grabbing hold of the Shikon-no-Tama from the power-hungry demon.  
  
With a shudder, the air demon fell prey to Sesshomaru's claws, and the oxygen returned at full blast.  
  
"Fool, did you truly think you could defeat this Sesshomaru with those cheep tricks?" Sesshomaru said looking away from the Shikon jewel to gaze at the woman still limp in his arms. He gave a bored sigh and laid her down in the thick forest blanket of grass. He leaned his head against her chest again, this time only hearing a faint heartbeat-she was dieing.  
  
In a situation like this, it is necessary to do everything you can. So, he honest-to-God did the first thing he thought would help. He sat there. All he had to do was wait for her to die, use the Tensiaga, and finally, wait for her to heal. Then something came to him. His conscience told him: "We're in the Crossover Forest, Shit head! Many demons are probably waiting for her to die, then take her soul! Not thinking ahead again, I see. Do you want to turn out to be just like your pathetic brother? You are a demon lord! What do you think your fellow subjects would think if they could see you now? I know what they would think! It would be something like: 'Why the hell did we decide to be loyal to *him*?' Stupid. . . why don't you think of something helpful?"  
  
Sesshomaru growled, but would not stoop as low as actually *answering* it. A taiyoukai did not speak to himself-it was quite degrading.  
  
"Kagome, if you are going to die, than so be it. I will not have anything to it." He said to the woman lying in the grass, looking rather angelic and. . .vulnerable. Sesshomaru restated the urge to smack a hand on his forehead and sigh. He wouldn't voice an answer to his conscience, but he would talk to an unconscious human that was on her deathbed. He needed to get if priorities straight. But, if he didn't do anything, what would he do with that kitsune? Rin wouldn't be very happy, and that demoness-the daughter of the Southern Lands-what was he to do with her? He could leave her in the forest, then come back later for the bones. . . it would be a very nice present to give that bastard taiyoukai of the South.  
  
Sesshomaru lightly shook his head. He would worry about the demoness later. He had more pressing matters on his hands now. (Priorities, Sesshomaru. Priorities.) There was only one thing that came to mind-the same thing that he thought of while all of the oxygen was gone from that cove-he would have to give her the air orally. Mouth to mouth.  
  
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Shippo sat Indian-style on the ground, his back to Sesshomaru and his momma, Rin giggling furiously in front of him.  
  
"Are you sure that's how you play, Shippo-chan?" she asked.  
  
"Yup! Are you ready?" he asked, silently wondering why she thought it was so funny. 'Well, then again, I thought it was funny at first, too.' He smiled, remembering the first time Kagome taught him the great game.  
  
"Ready!" came Rin's joyful reply. At first, Shippo was only trying to help her forget about Sesshomaru, but now it was just fun being with her!  
  
The demoness lay sleeping at Rin's side, as she had been for nearly eight minutes.  
  
"Okay! Let's go!" he said, taking a deep breath, Rin doing the same.  
  
"Patty-cake, patty-cake, baker's men. . ."  
  
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* Well, that's all for tonight! I thought if I made it long, you all would forgive me for taking so damn long!( 7 pages, 4,556 words!) I know, I know, and I'm really sorry! You would think someone with no life, like myself, would be able to post quicker, but school must be taken into account and the fact that I have homework (even though I NEVER do it, but I thought that would make a nice excuse anyway. . . ) and I have to read fanfictions too, you know! *^^* Well, please review and let me know that all of my hard typing was not in vain. I love all of your reviews! I keep them all! I have my own e-mail folder that I keep them in! (I know. . . it only further proves that I have no life, but whatever.) Innyhoo, keep those reviews coming, and I'll keep those chapters coming!  
  
Oh, for anyone who cares, I have a 'B' in Spanish now. (oh, yeah!!) But I regret to inform you that I now have a *whispers* 63 in social studies. And I'm already on M.I.L.E. probation in that class, too! Sucks, ass. KISS MY ASS, MS. CROSBY! FUCKIN' RETIRE ALREADY, YOU OLD BITCH!!! *sigh* Ok. . . thanks for letting me get that out in the open. Um. . . bye for now! ^.~ (^^;;;;;;;;;;) 


	7. Misgivings

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and all of the other people. If you think I do, you're an idiot. And you owe me money. Lots of money.  
  
AN: Ahhh... here I am again, typing for you people. I can't believe all of you people seem to like this so much. I had to read it over, you know, because I posted in mid November, and I thought this story sucked! I can't believe you guys like it! But I'm not going to complain about that. You know, because I like it when people like what I write. So with that in mind, on with the story! (But after the review responses)  
  
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Silver-Blue-Eyes: I wish. No, it's an 'F' but I don't have to worry about her anymore. I sort of got kicked out of her class, so I wont have to worry about the tests and stuff. Now I could sleep in my new class and still pass! I like it the easy way, anyway ^^  
  
My-Name-is-Spoken: heehee. I'm glad you like it! I'm really sorry this chapter took so long, not to mention having a fellow fan of fluff is comforting. Hope you like it! (The chapter, I mean ^^;)  
  
Goth Child of Zyon: Ahh... again with the bitching thing? Dude, me = no bitching. Oh, and as for that 'I Hate Everything About you' song, I have the cd!! (A-hahahahaha!!) That's what you get for the bitching thing. If you beg, I might let you borrow it. No, just kidding. You can borrow it...if you're really nice ^^ as for the baby part, I sort of forgot about her, so I had to add her in there somewhere!! *^^* And the shit head part was his conscious talking to him! Conscious! How can you get a 43 in S.S? Really now... but I wont be getting those grades anymore, because I'm being moved into a normal, easy class now. La-la! No more Crosby!! And finally, you have to review because if you don't, I wont talk to you on AIM. So...blah to you. ^_~  
  
Ptbear: brilliant, eh? That's so great! You know, the brilliant thing was one of the top reasons why I decided to start the new chapter thing. So all of the people above you should be thankful. Brilliant. Heh. That's so great. ^^  
  
So it Would Seem...  
  
The Misgivings  
  
Well, here he was, the taiyoukai of the west, about to save a human from dying. Now, *why* was he doing this again? Oh, that's right, he never knew why. But that's ok, he was going to be a good demon lord and save her just for the hell of it.  
  
Um. No. Maybe in an alternate universe. But this was now, the Feudal Era! There was no playing around here. No "saving people for the hell of it". This rule was especially taken with the demon lord who was in a position of which he most certainly didn't want to be in.  
  
A certain human needed to be revived, but he was not allowed to use a certain sword to bring her back to life with. Time was running out and he still hadn't moved to do anything yet.  
  
Sesshoumaru looked to the peaceful looking woman lying on the lush, green wild grass. She did something embarrassing for him. Heh. The leg thing. But, this was not the same thing! She performed the embarrassing stunt last time. He would simply do nothing! That was that. But... What about the kitsune? And Rin? This was not a good time to be arguing now. Not even with himself.  
  
'Let's just get it over with. Once it is done, it will be done.' He thought as he moved some of the ebony strands of her silky hair. 'Kagome, you will owe me something of *great* value when you awaken. Mark my words.' He thought as he removed his hand from her features to lean down, taking a large breath of air.  
  
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Rin was laughing again. That was a good sign, Shippo hoped.  
  
"Do it again, Shippo-chan!" she squealed. Clapping her petite hands in joy. Shippo was getting tired. She was too, and promised this would be the last time he would have to change. Then he was done after that.  
  
"Alright, Rin." He said, taking out the leaf he had been using to change into various creatures including Jaken, Sesshoumaru, Kagome, the pink blob, a rock, tree, duck, Ah-Un, and even Rin, all complete with a little kitsune tail. Except the pink blob, but that wasn't a real creature, anyway.  
  
"I say... turn into Sesshoumaru-sama again!" Rin exclaimed, pulling her knees into her chest and watching Shippo as he thought about what he looked like again. Shippo had probably changed into Sesshoumaru five times before. She never seemed to tire of him. In a poof of smoke, the Shippo she saw moments ago was gone, replaced by a perfect replica of Sesshoumaru. So perfect in fact, there was no 'Shippo tail' as Rin would call it. "Shippo! You look just like Sesshoumaru-sama!" she chirped, "no 'Shippo tail'! Shippo did a good job!"  
  
Shippo beamed with pride. It was quite a complement to him. He walked over to Rin and sat down next to her. She snuggled into him, sighing contently as she sleepily thanked Shippo for keeping her safe. It wasn't long before she was asleep and Shippo lost Sesshoumaru's form. It was hard work, keeping up with such a person's appearance. He looked to where Sesshoumaru and his mother were. He couldn't see his mother very well, and Sesshoumaru's back was to him. That was odd. What was Sesshoumaru doing to Kagome? He sort of looked like... what was the word? A vampire, yes a vampire hunched over Kagome. Wait! What if he was a vampire, like Dracula, and he was sucking out Kagome's blood? It would be just like the story Kagome told him one night! What if he came after him next? Then what? It was not an easy matter, and there was some thinking that Shippo needed to do first.  
  
"There isn't any garlic here," Shippo mused, "but I bet I could make a stake out of a tree!" he looked around the dense forest; there were no little trees around here! "Well, I guess I'll have to improvise." Looking around until he spotted the bush where the missing demoness had been found. Improvise indeed.  
  
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His lips were soft, yet cautious as he lightly blew air into her mouth, ever aware of keeping his fingers to her nose and was prepared to jump back at any moment, once she awoke. He lifted his head again to get new air to lean down again and blow it into her mouth. He hoped this would work. Wasn't it like water? He was almost certain that he could get her to begin breathing on her own by doing this. He was jerked out of his thought when he felt a light jump come from the woman. He pulled back, letting her get all of the air she needed.  
  
Coughing and sputtering she bolted upright and saw the molten golden gaze of her rescuer. She gingerly put her hand to her lips as she continued to stare at him.  
  
Sesshoumaru saw this gesture, and while outside it looked as thought he was unemotional, inside his eyes were wide. 'Does she know? Surly she was unconscious! No, she *was* asleep.' He looked to her with his trademark bored expression.  
  
"Sesshoumaru, what did you do?" she whispered. Looking into his eyes, she could not see what was going on inside. He was so guarded all the time, she could never even guess what was going on inside his head. "Sesshoumaru?" she questioned again.  
  
"Your kit is coming," he replied, looking away from her.  
  
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He crept low, keeping himself against trees and thick foliage. 'Sesshoumaru would not make Kagome a vampire! Was she a virgin? What *was* a virgin anyway?' Shippo thought as he neared the spot where Sesshoumaru and Kagome were. 'oh well,' Shippo mentally sighed, 'I'll pretend she is so I have to save her before Sesshoumaru makes her a vampire too!' with that, he ran as fast as his little, chubby legs would take him.  
  
In mid charge, he saw something he probably shouldn't have - was Sesshoumaru *kissing* Kagome? Too late to stop his charge. Kagome says something... then Sesshoumaru. But what?  
  
It was then Sesshoumaru's hand reached out to grab the piece of wood the kitsune was clutching on his decent to strike the taiyoukai. "What are you doing, kit?" Sesshoumaru sneered, quietly examining the piece of wood he held in his hands.  
  
"Sesshoumaru, you b-better not make Kagome a vampire!" Shippo stuttered. Sesshoumaru seemed annoyed right now. Not that it ever looked like he wasn't, but this time seemed more pronounced.  
  
Sesshoumaru turned to the human who appeared to be in deep thought. "Kagome. What is your delusional kit talking about?" he snapped. Her head shot up, giving him a questionable gaze as she turned to the kit, obviously surprised to see him.  
  
"What did he say?" she asked quietly, her gaze returning to Sesshoumaru.  
  
"Something about a 'vampire'?" he snapped. "Pay attention, human." He added as an after thought. True, she didn't seem interested in anything at the moment. Was it because he didn't answer her? Surly not - that would be absurd.  
  
She laughed lightly, turning to Shippo once again. "Shippo, Sesshoumaru is not a vampire, don't worry. Why did you thing such a thing?" she asked kindly, her voice remaining soft and quiet.  
  
"Well, I saw Sesshoumaru sucking blood from you earlier!" he said looking up to him, his eyes full of contempt. "I saw it with my own eyes! What else would he be doing with you like that?" Now Kagome was paying attention.  
  
"Like what?" she asked innocently, attempting to crawl over to Shippo, but was stopped by an arm. Sesshoumaru's arm. "What's the matter Sesshoumaru? Why don't you want me going to Shippo? Surly you want to know what else he thought especially since you won't tell me what happened." Her eyes flashed with humor as she sat back down on the lush grass. Patting the ground next to her to silently call Shippo to her.  
  
"You should rest," Sesshoumaru told Kagome as he stood up and faced her. He turned to Shippo and picked him up by the haori. "You should not have left, Rin is all alone." Sesshoumaru began to walk out of the small cove. "Come, we will leave her alone for the time being."  
  
Kagome was at a loss for words. What was going on? Did Sesshoumaru really... you know, give her mouth-to-mouth? Was that why he didn't want to tell her what he did to save her?  
  
"Sesshoumaru," she called out, "are you going to leave me alone?"  
  
"You shouldn't move right now,"  
  
"Well, that's nice, but don't you think something else can happen?"  
  
He stood there, resisting the urge to roll his eyes and sigh ironically.  
  
"I am not going to leave you, fool. Do you think something will happen to you once I turn around? You are not that important."  
  
Huff. That was rude.  
  
"I never said I was. I was only asking a question, no need to get defensive, Sesshoumaru." Kagome calmly replied. She had a good idea about what to say when he got back.  
  
'That human, she is scheming something,' Sesshoumaru thought as he ignored Shippo's requests to let go of his haori. "Quiet, kit. I do not need to hear your whining." That was the last he heard of the annoying squabble of the kitsune pup. Once he returned to the tree where Rin resided, he set Shippo down. "Now," he said, "pick up the demoness and follow me." From there, he picked up Rin and began to walk back to the small cove. His expression remained impassive as he walked back to Kagome, laying Rin down close by.  
  
"Aw, Rin looks so cute sleeping like this," Kagome cooed as she crawled to where Sesshoumaru laid Rin down. Sesshoumaru almost stopped her, but decided against it, seeing that she wouldn't stop even if he did make it a point to. Not to mention he didn't want to add to her list of things to inquire about later. Kagome gathered the child in her arms as she lay down again on the lush wild grass. "Sesshoumaru?" she whispered as she moved a stray hair from the child's face. Not waiting for an answer she continued, "Why did you do this for me? Save me, I mean. Or... were you thinking of someone else." Her eyes strayed down to Rin before she sought out Sesshoumaru's cold, golden orbs.  
  
No answer from the stoic demon lord.  
  
She shrugged her shoulders, as if she wasn't expecting an answer anyway. "What's the matter Sesshoumaru, not one to kiss and tell?" it took a lot of control not to laugh. But she did inside, and that's all that counts. He looked at her, almost ready to slash that small, insignificant little head off her shoulders. Alas, one such as him cannot complete a task such as that. For he needed her, and in order to get what he wanted, he would have to put up with her for only a bit longer. Once that task was complete, she would be useless, and there would be no need for her any more. Only then would the task be compliable, and in that moment, he would be able to do whatever he wished with her – and that meant crushing her throat until a large crack could be heard.  
  
She would laugh no more, like she was now – while playing with Rin's hair. He looked away. It mattered not if Rin liked her or not. Shippo could carry the dead body of the demoness back to that dammed demon lord's castle and all will be as it was. No more captures and no more unnecessary hold- ups. He, Sesshoumaru – Demon Lord of the Western Lands would not yield. And so yes, he *did* save her from death. And true, he should have let her die; now having the time to really think about it. But he now knew two things, one: he will let her die next time the chance arises and two: misgivings should always be paid in full. He paid his debt in full, plus some. He now knew that she would have to repay him for his kindness – and he was not planning on taking this lightly. In fact, Sesshoumaru was going to use it to its full extent.  
  
How little did that foolish child know about the Southern lands and its' leader. She was going to help him in getting what he wanted, and she would not be able to do anything about it, because she was helping the South all along. Misgivings of all he did for her would come together if he played his cards right, and he always did.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A-haha! Look! I finally finished that stupid chapter! I will have you know that I was just planning on ending it right here – I was so tired of this. The next chapter was going to be the ending. I was just going to make up something stupid and end it. I decided to keep it going, however, because I'm such a nice person. I guess you can keep an eye out for the next chapter. The next time I'll try my best to update in *under* 5 months. *^^*; But I'm really sorry to keep all of you waiting, and I know this chapter wasn't the best, but if you bare with me, you know, let me exit this writer's block, I think it will get a little better. But I'm really sorry to keep you waiting. And I mean that. Really. 


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